Expressing-machine.



J. J. WHEAT.

EXPRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1a, 1903.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. J. WHEAT. EXPRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1903.

949,787.. Patented Feb.22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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EXPRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED unis, 1903.

949387. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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J. J. WHEAT.

. EXPRESSIN G MAGHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1903. 949,787. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

JOHN J. WHEAT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXPRESSING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed. May 13, 1903. Serial No. 156,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. WHEAT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expressing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide for the substantially complete drying of peat and similar substances by expressing the moisture therefrom.

Efiorts heretofore made to free peat from the water contained therein have been measurably unsuccessful owing to the fact that they have not taken into account the physical structure of the peat but have ignored the fact that it is cellular, and owing to its physical construction requires a light and gradually increasing pressure upon a mass of peat of limited thickness.

The present invention consists in a pair of large, co-acting compressing wheels, having their rims so formed as to collect and carry oi the water, means being provided for rotating the wheels and for feeding the material to the inter-space between them.

My device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, some of the parts being broken away to disclose the interior construction of the expressing wheels. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view. Fig. 5 is a detail plan section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail plan section on the line 6 of Fig. 5.

The machine is provided with any suitable form of frame or support, the one shown consisting of the sills A A, the tie beams B, B, resting thereon, the uprights a, a, and the upper tie beams 72, b, which constitute the top of the frame and carry the journal boxes of the large compressing wheels. These wheels have broad faces D, in practice being three feet or more in width. They are strongly constructed to withstand pressure and are formed with a solid rim which may receive the expressed moisture. This rim supports the absorbent face of the wheel hereafter described. Between the wheels, and above the point at which their faces most nearly approach is located a hopper d through which the material is fed and at each side of the hopper cheek-plates c, e extend downwardly to prevent the material from escaping laterally. The wheels may be driven by any suit-able mechanism, that shown having worms F F meshing with gear wheels f, 9, upon the shafts of which are mounted pinions H, H, which intermesh with internal gear h, h, secured to the rims of the large wheels C, C. The solid rim E of each wheel is provided with an absorbent face which is constructed substantially as follows: The rim itself is provided with slats I, arranged obliquely as to the circumferences of the wheel; and, starting from the middle line of its face extending, forwardly with reference to the direction of rotation, to the edge of the rim. Between these slats spaces are provided to allow the water to reach the rim and wide enough to serve as conduits for the water or fluid there deposit ed and carry it laterally to the side of the rim E. Over these spaces and upon the slats I is placed a sheathing M provided with numerous circumferentially extending slot-s preferably of sufficient extent to cross one or more of the channels between the slats and strong enough to withstand the pressure applied in the process without being depressed between them. Upon the sheathing M is placed another preferably lighter metallic sheathing Z freely perforated with fine holes so small that the fibers of the peat will bridge over them. This closely perforated sheathing is again enveloped by a fourth sheathing of porous substance K preferably some kind of fabric. I have found muslin to serve the purpose satisfactorily and it being cheap may be easily replaced as it becomes worn. This fabric, or porous surface forms the outer periphery or face of the expressing wheels and comes in direct contact with the peat.

Secured to each edge of the rim of each wheel and projecting radially a short distance beyond its face is a flange N, to the inner face of which is attached an annular member 0, L shaped in cross section (as 5 shown in Fig. 5), the inner edge of which rests upon the slats I at their outer ends and abuts against the edges of the sheathings 70, Z M. The flange N, the annulus O and the wheel rim E form the walls of an annular chamber P into which the water is drained through the conduits J between the slats I and from which it escapes through apertures Q formed in the flange N being received by a trough S secured by brackets r to the tie beams 12 and A of the frame and extending downwardly and following the contour of the wheel face a sufficient distance to receive all the water drained through the wheel-rim channels J. These troughs terminate at any convenient point of discharge. The water is guided into the troughs S by flanges T projecting outwardly from the face of the flanges N outside of the apertures Q.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The large wheels C C are set in motion and are rotated in opposite directions. The native peat is then introduced into the hopper d and is fed by gravity between the faces of the wheels in sufficient quantities to insure a sufficient pressure. Usually a reduction of sixteen dimensions of raw peat to three dimensions, will insure a suflicient pressure. I find in practical experience that a mass of peat fifteen inches in thickness at the point where it first comes in contact with the wheels will, when reduced to three inches in thickness, give good commercial results. I operate the large wheels slowly to allow the moisture time to escape from its cellular environment. The moisture expressed from the peat by the pressure of the converging faces of the wheels is first taken up by the absorbent or fabric covering K forming the face of the wheel and under pressure passes backward to and is caught by the solid rim E in carrying pockets formed by the slats thereon whereby it is deflected to the edges of the wheels.

5 It is apparent that if immediate escape for the moisture were provided by means of large apertures either next the peat itself or next the absorbent face of the wheel, these apertures would be almost immediately filled and choked up by the compressed peat and the escape of moisture would thus soon be clogged. I have therefore provided a series of graduated apertures for this purpose the cloth a fiber covering providing the first of these, preventing the small holes of the outer metallic sheathing Z from being thus filled and choked and it, in turn, forming a substantially solid surface to support the absorbent face and prevent its injury 5 while another sheathing M with larger apertures allows free passage of the expressed fluids, which when lodged on the solid rim of the wheel, the device of obliquely arranged slats carries to the edges of the expressing wheels to be thrown off.

By observing the plan view, Fig. 5, it will be seen that the pressure chamber lying between the two wheels, has at the sides cheekplates 6, e, and that these cheek-plates are outwardly embraced by the flanges N of the expressing wheels. These flanges have three uses. They furnish a place for the an nular conduit and also furnish a place against which the cheek-plates 0 may rest, being held there by the pressure from within. Embracing the cheekplates as aforesaid the flanges also restrain the peat and the pressure therefrom laterally.

I am aware that cooperating wheels have been proposed for peat drying machines and I do not claim such merely but I believe I am the first to provide such a wheel with means for carrying off and taking care of the water which may pass through the porous or perforated face thereof. While I have shown these conduits as starting from the middle of the wheel rim and leading 0bliquely to the sides thereof, any conduit which is so arranged as to convey away the water passing through the porous or perforated facing to the rim and any arrangement of perforations or absorbents which will accommodate the water in its passage to the rim E, would come within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In an expressing machine, an expressing wheel having an annular conduit on the edge of the wheel, an absorbent face and lateral conduits in the rear of said face, said lateral conduits extending to, and conducting the fluids outwardly to, the annular conduit, substantially as described and shown.

2. An expressing wheel having lateral conduits in combination with an annular conduit and a receiving trough, following the contour of the wheel substantially as described and shown.

3. In an expressing machine a porous 5 walled pressure-chamber formed by the fabric covered faces of two cooperating wheels moving in opposite directions, and two cheek-plates, outwardly embraced by the flanges of the cooperating wheels, substantially as described and shown.

4. In an expressing machine, a porous walled pressure-chamber formed by the porous faces of two cooperating wheels moving in opposite directions, and two cheek plates outwardly embraced by the flanges of the cooperating wheels, substantially as described and shown.

5. expressing machine having two c0- operating porous faced expressing wheels adapted to move in opposite directions, a tures in the sheathing to bridge the channels pressure chamber between the wheels, cheeksubstantially as described and shown. 10 plates to retain the compressed material, and In testimony whereof I aflix my signature an annular chamber into which expressed in the presence of two witnesses. fluid is conducted, and received. JOHN J. WHEAT.

6. In an expressing wheel having lateral Witnesses: channels on its rim, a metallic sheathing for WILLIAM M. CLANOY, the channels provided with elongated aperl E. S. WEEDEN. 

